‘Very fixable things’: Cougars’ coaches say offensive problems in opener are solvable.Sometime a rose requires a little more time to bloom. Head coach Kalani Sitake won’t shout out excuses, but reality whispers differently. In addition, BYU was breaking in a roster that included 60 new players from a year ago, including a quarterback who is experienced in the position, but had never suited up for the team. Sam Houston was on a first date too - making its debut at the FBS level with a chance to pull off an upset on national television. The frustration from the stands made its way to the sideline. Fans also wanted to see a dominating offensive line, fewer penalties and more first downs while feeling far less anxiety. The hype for quarterback Kedon Slovis, running back Aidan Robbins and healthy tight end Isaac Rex created visions of instant grandeur. Cougar Nation expected to see an offense on the attack with touchdowns coming from all over the place - just as it saw Oklahoma and Texas do earlier in the day. And as defensive back Eddie Heckard reiterated Monday, “What matters most is we won the game.”Īre there concerns? Yes. Running back LJ Martin entered the game in the third quarter and set a school freshman debut record with 91 yards. Following a season where they couldn’t get off the field on third down, the Cougars held Sam Houston to just 2 of 14 in those situations. There were some good qualities.”įor example, BYU’s new-look defense pitched its first shutout in nine years. The conversation ranges from, “It was a mistake to go out in the first place” to a big-picture perspective of, “Well, first dates are always hard, but it wasn’t all bad. The aftermath of a first date can be just as exhausting with the over-analyzation that follows by a group of like-minded thinkers.

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